First few outings for new troop?

[qwazse]

Also, have a parent meeting and let them know your boys are on the hunt for camping locations. There might just be a family farm that would welcome the troop for a weekend.

[Tampa Turtle]

I mentioned how many adults because we had an early outing with newbies where we dropped off the scouts and a couple scouters to hike in and then drove in the gear with a couple other dads. That way the boys were only carrying water and snacks--even if it was only a couple miles.

 

Gave them mental transition time and get a little energy out.

 

Agree on the gear; they need time to figure out what they need. A few inexpensive DIY projects could could.

 

Depending on the weather and insects some cowboy camping or survival style camping toward the end of the season might be fun.

 

I am so jealous of the Kennesaw Mountain idea! I would recommend working in the The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History as well if they haven't done it.

 

Working toward a short AT trip next year would be great. Vogel State Park is an easy trip (a lot of sites nearby), you can swim, and they have some short connecting hikes to the AT.

 

We do a *very* popular surf trip to the beach.

 

Consider some sort of "founders" patch for the boys--might help with retention.

 

Ask around some established Troops for equipment--some old Troops can accumulate a TON of old stuff. Also ask them for advice on stoves, etc before your Troop buys some. Nothing like actual experience on costs, upkeep, and boy-proof design than from folks living it. There are a lot of different opinions out there.

 

Sounds like fun!

[dfscott]

Thanks, all, for all the comments. My new plan is this:

 

Month 1 (June) outing: Cherokee Trail at Stone Mtn State Park. It's a 5 mile loop trail with lots to see on the way. There's a spot about 1/2 way with picnic tables, so we'll stop for lunch there.

 

Month 2 (July) outing: Let the boys pick: camping or another hike. If hike, I'll give them a choice of several 6-10 mile treks. If camping, I'll try and get into Camp 175 (camp175.com) -- looks like nice, safe camping for new boys. Depending on troop supplies, we'll either tent camp or look at the Adirondacks.

 

Month 3 (August) outing: Definitely camping this time. We have a district committee member that has some land she lets boys camp on. No latrines, but running water. This will be tent camping.

 

Month 4 (Sept) outing: Maybe a longer hike this time. Give them boys a choice of some trails to pick from. (This might be a good time for the Kennesaw Mtn trip if the dates sync up!)

 

Month 5 (Oct) outing: This is already planned: we're doing Cub 'n' Camporee at Camp Jamison (Boy Scout Camp). This will be a nice chance for the boys to show off what they've learned to their friends that are still in Cubs, and should also get the Cubs excited.

 

Month 6 (Nov) outing: Not sure -- hopefully by now, I can suggest a program feature and let the boys decide what they want to do to accomplish it.

 

Thoughts, feedback, is welcome.

 

EDIT: The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain weekend is June 25th, so I'll probably try to do that -- looks like some cool stuff:

 

10:00 - Infantry Demonstration

 

11:00 - Artillery Demonstration

 

11:30 - Signal Corps/Telegraph

 

12:00 - Infantry Demonstration

 

1:00 - Artillery Demonstration

 

1:30 - Signal Corps/ Telegraph

 

2:00 - Infantry Demonstration

 

3:00 - Artillery Demonstration(This message has been edited by dfscott)

[Tampa Turtle]

Just for ideas...

 

we have tried the following successfully with young scouts:

 

- Canoeing (needed to borrow the canoes. A rental is good if costs)

- Caving (through a local spelunking society)

- Military Museums

- Geocatching (I disliked it but boys loved it)

- Small Boat Sailing

- Kayaking

- Fishing

 

We decide a free a few years ago that since we were in Tampa that we would concentrate on aquatics and hiking. Starting to push backpacking harder. So find your own Troop style.

 

Also after complaints that we had too many expensive trips we do a "high-low" mix. If we do a expensive trip we try to do 1 or 2 lower cost trips as well.

[boomerscout]

with all that hiking you might as well start 'em all on the hiking merit badge.

if month 2 is going to be a campout - Hooray! - yoiu may need to reserve it right now

[Stosh]

While it is important for advancement to get in a prescribed length of hike, and it's important to get out and get going on something, keep it in mind that the #1 issue is building a cohesive group. Get the boys into planning something THEY want. You can ask all you want from this group for ideas, but the final decision needs to be made by the boys. Get the boys out to what they decide on and watch closely to see who's "taking the lead" on things. See who works well with whom, who doesn't, etc. Watch and learn your boys and keep offering up quality suggestions for THEM to decide on. If THEY decide that this month they are not going camping, but doing a fundraiser to raise money for tents, so be it! LISTEN, LISTEN, WATCH, and then LISTEN some more.

 

Best of luck!

 

Stosh

[boomerscout]

Adults will hike just to enjoy the hike and admire the scenery. Kids, on the other hand, generally want a hike toward something -- some activity or fun destination.

I would hold the first batch of troop meetings outside. Lean on the formalities, more on the hands-on: set up the tent & take it down, building the different fire lays, using a compass to walk a square, how to stuff the backpack and so on.

[JMHawkins]

Well, so some more advice (since it's so fun to give)...

 

I think it's okay to do a lot (or even all) of the planning for the first few outings when you have brand new Scouts and no experienced Youths to do that part. You want the youths to eventually be doing all that themselves, but right now they probably not only don't know how to do it, they probably don't even know what they're supposed to be doing. As the adults, you need to model what you want them to do, and gradually (how gradually depends on how mature your best youth leaders are) shift that responsibility to them.

 

We totally planned their first two campouts and partially planned the third. Summer camp was after that. By the time they got back from summer camp, they were starting to get the hang of it on their own.

 

With PLC meetings, we didn't do that - we kind of just let them run it their way from the start. Looking back, that was probably a mistake, as they've really struggled with that part of things. Now, obviously it's a lot easier for 11 year olds to figure out how to have fun in the outdoors on their own than it is for them to figure out how to run and participate in a meeting, but I do think it took us modelling some PLC meetings before they started to realize what they ought to be doing.

 

 

[raisinemright]

I was in your boat about a year ago. Besides three boys, all were 100% new to scouting. We started in January. First activity was just a 2 mile hike on a Sunday afternoon and some geocaching. Then we did a cabin campout. Scouting for food, marsh cleanup. Stuff to get them working on stuff together and getting to know each other.

 

We couldn't pull off summer camp due to scheduling. In August, we booked a site at the scout camp, arranged for someone to deliver perishable food a couple times and did our own first year scout program. We rented the pool and had a guy come teach First Aid MB. It was incredible and the boys learned how to really camp.

 

I think as new SM, it's important you be at camp. If you can pull this idea off, it will work well for you.

[Kudu]

 

As others have noted, NOW is the time to start thinking of lightweight Patrol Equipment that will allow you to continue your Hike-Based Program into ALL future camping types: Car Camping, Canoeing, Climbing, Backpacking, Whatever!

 

Bob Geier's Intro to Lightweight Troop Gear:

 

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/skills/cooking/lightweight.htm

 

Sadly, many Troops get locked in to plywood chuck boxes, which result in Webelos 3 camping with the Patrols too close together

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

http://kudu.net

 

[KitCarson]

A lot of the damage/loss of gear occurs during storage and transportation. This is why unit boxes are important. It keep the gear together, and protects it when not in use, assuming that proper procedures such as drying out tents and cleaning takes place before storage.

 

A plywood box is not heavy -- it's what you put in it that adds the weight. A properly-designed patrol kitchen (not chuck) box that contains aluminum pots and modern stoves in place of cast iron is easily packed 300 feet by two scouts. Ditto a camping box containing tent(s), fly, and associated gear. Consumables are packed in separately for each outing. It's easier than lugging in each item individually.

 

There is nothing about unit boxes that is incompatible with a hiking program. The required equipment is simply drawn from the boxes before each event and checked back in after cleaning and care. This take place either at the troop facility or the base camp.

 

[Kudu]

 

"A plywood box is not heavy -- it's what you put in it that adds the weight."

 

A plywood box is heavier than no box, or small plastic boxes.

 

Patrol boxes are a standard size, and take up a lot of room, so usually they are filled with ALL of each Patrol's equipment.

 

"A properly-designed patrol kitchen (not chuck) box that contains aluminum pots and modern stoves in place of cast iron is easily packed 300 feet by two scouts."

 

And then everyone discovers that moving Patrol boxes only fifteen (15) feet apart is twenty (20) times easier than packing them 300 feet!

 

Here is a good side by side comparison of "Old Style" versus "Lightweight Style" Troop camping:

 

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/equipment/lightweight_camping.htm

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

 

[KitCarson]

"Here is a good side by side comparison of "Old Style" versus "Lightweight Style" Troop camping:

 

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/equipment/lightweight_camping.htm"

 

Nope. That's a propaganda rant from a zealot. It's just as biased as the guy who insists that all cooking must be done over a wood fire in order to qualify as scoutcraft, and just as erroneous.

 

[Kudu]

 

"Nope. That's a propaganda rant from a zealot."

 

Is it too soon to compare us to Hitler?

 

 

 

 

[KitCarson]

OK. Let's just call it hyperbole rather than propaganda -- same goal, but it sounds more benign.

 

Packing all those pots, pans, utensils, stoves, tents, flies, groceries, and water 300 feet as separate items rather than in containers is least 20 times harder than packing them 15 feet. Your point????